Tuesday, 3 September 2013

Cardiff Film and Comic Con 2013 and Lou Scannon Issue 6

So this past weekend (31st Aug-1st Sept) saw the first ever Cardiff Film and Comic Con in the Cardiff International Arena (I refuse to call it the Motorpoint Arena. Terrible, terrible name.).

Of course Team Scannon had booked a table there for the weekend. We didn't have expectations that were too high or unreasonable, simply on the basis that there was a hell of a lot there for folk to see and take in... Potentially dwarfing a small press title like ours...
BUT
We were blown away by the response we received. Higher sales than we have had at any previous cons we have done, and we've done a fair few now!

There was a great atmosphere at the con. Maybe not as personal as the Cardiff Expo that was held earlier in the year, but it was great all the same.

﻿﻿On the table to our right was a friend of the team, Pete Rogers selling a great little indie title called "Chris Smith & the Nazi Zombies from Hell". It's a great comic! I bought it for the art but stayed for the story.
To our left was convention regular and dear friend to Team Scannon, Steve "Moonfold" Penfold. He was there selling his comic "Moon" issues 1 and 2 along with an absolute fuckload of prints. Seriously guys, if you get the chance to read "Moon", do it! It's one of the best comics out at the moment and I'm not just limiting that to the small press scene. If "Lou Scannon" is top of the "Cool Comics" list, then "Moon" is an easy 3rd or 4th place behind it (That's an in-joke...)

Now I'm sure you may have noticed that Kris Carter doesn't seem to be making an appearance in any of the pics at our table. Well that's because the lucky chap was there as a guest due to his pro work on little titles you may have heard of called "Transformers" and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles".

This meant he had a table on another row separate to us. This was actually an incredible advantage as it gave Lou Scannon double the exposure! Kris was selling loads from his table, where there was a lot more traffic, and then sending folk on to us to sign covers and try sell other items to.

These other items include prints. Prints that I had drawn and coloured as part of my "Pencil Pirates" venture I have started with my good friend Gavin Mitchell. You can see Jim and Me wearing t-shirts in the above picture emblazoned with the PP logo. We intend to have a table together for this sort of thing next year but for now we sell them from our own respective tables. He had his on the Stiffs table and I had mine on our table obviously. They were very well received! We have very limited numbers of them but some are still available post-con. If you're interested in any of mine, contact me and let me know!

£5 for one, £8 for two. Printed on 300gsm paper with a gloss finish

The one thing I do still find weird, more so than the fact that something I created has fans and quite the cult following, is that I get asked to sign copies of the comic.

This is my friend Jojo. She had me sign her copy of Issue 2 then had Jim photobomb us.

Kris I think takes it somewhat in his stride but I know Jim finds it rather bizarre too! It's quite an honour I guess!..

SPEAKING OF HONOURS!:

Not bad... For a bunch of humans

THAT'S RIGHT!

We met Lance Henriksen! He was at the convention all weekend signing autographs and at one point decided to go for a stroll! He approached the table that Kris was on and Kris started showing him issue 4 of the comic which is our Aliens homage. When Lance saw the very last page with a scene not too dissimilar to something that happens to his character in the Aliens movie, he said "Oh wow. I should sign a copy for you guys!"

WE NEARLY SHIT KITTENS.

The man is an absolute gent and I was honoured to shake his hand and converse with him. If only for a moment! It was one of those knee shaking moments that you get when you meet one of your heroes...

He then was decent enough to pose for a couple of pictures with us. Considering people were being charged for that over the weekend, we were incredibly lucky!

It was a great weekend. So exhausting though. But it has given me even more drive to get issue six of Scannon ready for the London MCM in October. I don't have much time to get it done but by God I am determined and I really want to see it done.

I started pencilling the issue a couple of days before the con and I have to say, I think it is some of my best work on the comic so far. I've ditched the inks for this issue and flipped it back to just pencils... but with a twist. It's looking pretty good I think.

Page 1 of Scannon issue 6

A panel from page 2

I have a load of drawing to be getting on with and I've spent this evening working on a last minute commission. I should probably be getting to bed.

Before I go though, It's worth mentioning that I got to meet yet another hero, Neil Gaiman, last week. But I think I can go into that more with the next blog perhaps!

About Me

I'm the Creator of the Small Press comic books LOU SCANNON and DRUID INVESTIGATIONS. Co-Creator of BRUCE OUTBACK and Co-Founder of ATTIC STUDIOS.
I like long walks off short piers and other adrenaline inducing stupidity.
If you like tangfastic Haribo and Heavy Metal, you and I are going to get on just fine.